Many families in this country will at some time find themselves facing a ‘financial crisis’ point – a financial problem which puts the immediate health and well-being of family members at risk. Examples include running out of money for food or for fuel during a period of cold weather, or a key household item such as a fridge or boiler breaking down. If these immediate crises are not rectified quickly, then the impact could be severe, even in the short term.

In some cases, crises may be a one-off caused by an event which would have been impossible to predict, such as the sudden onset of a disability or benefit income going unpaid due to an administrative error.

However, in other cases a crisis may be predictable and/or repeated, as a result of a chronic vulnerability like ongoing ill-health or a regular shortfall in income compared to outgoings. While crisis support may be effective in delaying the impacts of the problem, additional support may be needed to address the underlying difficulties that led to the crisis point.

Month of publication
July
Year of publication 
2019
Number of pages 
40
Author 
Iain Porter